Water in Your Community

In the last month, as we’ve talked about water, everything that could go wrong with it pretty much has. Our seas have been polluted beyond repair by the BP oil spill. Nashville is underwater. Droughts are creating water refugees in the Middle East. Earthquake victims around the world still seek fresh water, even after months of relief efforts. And well water is still elusive in many parts of Africa and Asia.

This is the last day on the topic of water. And in the coming months no doubt I and most of my readers will be using water to stay cool, to hydrate our tomatoes, to clean our bodies.

Hopefully we will not forget the billions in the world who suffer from water pollution, water-borne illness, no access to water, and flooding.

But here’s a more personal challenge: how do the people in our own communities access clean, safe water? Is our infrastructure strong? Do the poorest families in our counties have clean water to drink?

We might not all be able to build wells, or feel led to give our money to water-related charities. But we can love our neighbors by checking in on their water supply this sweltering summer.

So enjoy your pools, your fountains and showers. Drink up, and add ice if that’s your thing. And then call up your city’s most trusted resource – perhaps a non-profit working in the depths of poverty – and ask them if they know of anyone in their communities who do not have easy access to clean water.

If they know of anything of the kind, what can be done about it? Perhaps a church or community group can work together to provide infrastructure and support that the inner-city needs to provide clean water to its people.

And if water isn’t a problem now, it might be in the future. The Red Cross will train volunteers ahead of time, so that if your region is ever affected by flooding or other natural disasters, you can be on call as a relief worker. Contact your local chapter for details.

Comments

Since we are closing water after today I want to post a few thoughts about water world wide. H.R. 5088: America’s Commitment to Clean Water Act introduced by Representative Jim Oberstar (D-Minn) would change language in the original clean water act to read instead of navigable waters of the US to simply waters of the US. This would give the Federal Government control over all water even on private property including farm ponds mudflats wet meadows, etc. This is obviously another power grab for a critical life sustaining resource as you have so elequently described it on these pages.

So then, the same people who force us to import virtually all grocery store food want control of all water. They’ve done such a good job with the water of Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, the Horn of Africa, Latin and South America, and almost all of the Far East why not give them this last bit of control over our lives. The bill is currently in Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment which has 21 Democrats and 15 Republicans but no Constitutionalists at all.